According to 2005 data collected by [[Adherents.com]], the religious traditions with the most "adherents" around the world (including traditions outside of the three major divisions listed above) are:

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According to data collected by [[Adherents.com]], the religious traditions with the most "adherents" around the world (including traditions outside of the three major divisions listed above) are:<sup>[http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html]</sup>

It is notoriously difficult to define what does and does not constitute a religion, due to the sheer variety of human religious beliefs and practices. Taoism and Confucianism, for instance, are sometimes described as philosophies rather than religions.

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Classification

Many religions are subdivided into sects or denominations, resulting in a huge number of labels for the religious to choose from. The major world religions are typically, however, divided into three large groups: